Falling Into Love (Paradise Place Book 5)

by Natalie Ann

  Maybe that was what they were concerned about. That he was going to be a bad role model for Shannon’s kids?

  “I hope you’re behaving,” his mother said.

  Bingo. “Of course he is,” Whitney said, coming to his defense. “I’ve talked to Shannon a few times. She says how much Jeffrey loves it when Ryan comes over. We are having lunch next week.”

  “I didn’t know that,” he said.

  He’d spent a few hours with Shannon and the kids yesterday and they watched some football while Shannon cooked. He hated that she did that when he was there, but she insisted she wasn’t into sports and Jeffrey loved football. That it helped her out and she and Maddie got to have fun baking.

  He wasn’t going to complain about the home-cooked meals, that was for sure.

  “Does she tell you everything she does?” his father asked. “I hope you don’t pry like that. Or that you’re controlling.”

  “What do you take me for?” he asked his father. “No. I don’t know everything. I just figured she might mention she was having lunch with my sister. But I know they text and talk.”

  Whitney was laughing. “We made the plans this morning. Chill out, Dad. I’m sure she’ll tell him the next time they talk. It’s not like they talk nonstop. She’s busy with her job and the time difference.”

  “And what is her job?” his mother asked.

  “Her late husband and his best friend started some media company. Worth millions. I don’t ask, I don’t want to know. It’s obvious there is a shit load of money. You know that; she paid cash for that house. She drives an SUV close to six figures. She’s the CFO of the company. The partner is buying her out and she’s going to step down to some finance director position or something.”

  “Why did she move here if she is still working for the company?” his father asked.

  “I’m not sure other than she wanted a fresh start. I didn’t specifically ask how she ended up here. It hasn’t come up. She did say she is stepping down from that position because it’s too demanding and she’d need to be there to maintain it. She wants to enjoy the kids while they are young.”

  “Sounds reasonable,” her father said, turning to Ryan’s mother. “Are you happy now?”

  “I suppose so. I want to ask when we get to meet her, but we did at the picnic. I guess the question is, can we have a family dinner soon?” his mother asked.

  Ryan figured this would come up at some point, which was another reason he wasn’t telling them. “I’ll bring it up. I doubt she’ll have a problem with it. She likes to cook so I’m sure she’ll enjoy entertaining.”

  “Oh no,” Whitney said. “What’s wrong with you? You don’t ask her to host it. Mom is.”

  “Well, Mom didn’t say that,” he argued. “And we know damn well I’m not cooking for you all.”

  His mother sighed. “Ryan, of course I would host it. You’re getting all agitated and annoyed for no reason. Matt, what is wrong with our son?”

  “No clue,” his father said, “but you got the answers you wanted so let’s leave him alone to get some work done.”

  His parents walked out, but his sister remained. “What am I missing?” he asked Whitney.

  “They want one of us settled down. They don’t bother talking to me. I think they see Kaelyn giving her parents a grandchild and feel left out a little. I don’t know. They wouldn’t say that to me though.”

  No, his parents wouldn’t because of everything that Whitney went through during her marriage. Having been the first one married and in that union for ten years the family expected a child or two. It never happened and no one knew why.

  Whitney had every test in the book and she couldn’t get pregnant. In the end it was probably best since Kevin was such a dick.

  “Whatever. Now I guess they are on my case. Either way, I’ll let Shannon know. I’m sure she’ll be fine with it.”

  “I can bring it up at lunch. We’re going to have lunch next Tuesday. I guess she had a busy week this week.”

  “You know darn well I’ll talk to her before then. I’ll mention it. Thanks.”

  “For what?” she asked, leaning against the door jam.

  “For defending me.”

  “Someone has to do it,” she said and turned to leave.

  “Mom,” Jeffrey said. “I dreamed of Dad last night.”

  “What?” she asked.

  Monday mornings seemed to be coming faster and faster and she was ramming, trying to get the kids ready for school. They were in a habit with Ryan coming on Sundays and Jeffrey was starting to get moody when Ryan left after dinner now. She was going to have to figure out how to deal with that.

  “I dreamed of Dad last night. I told him I was riding a bike now. That Ryan taught me.”

  She wanted to cry over those words but knew she couldn’t. There was really no reason for it. If Jeffrey wasn’t upset over talking to his father in a dream about another man, then she shouldn’t be either.

  “What did he say?” she asked.

  “He was happy for me. He said he wished he could teach me but was glad that someone else was. He said he was proud of me too.”

  Yeah, her eyes were misting up again. It was exactly what she needed to hear. “I’m proud of you too. You picked it up really fast.”

  “Daddy told me that he missed your apple pie this year,” Maddie said.

  “What?” she asked, turning.

  “I had a dream about Daddy too.”

  “Last night?” she asked.

  “No. I don’t remember when. But he missed your apple pie and asked me if it was as good as it always was. I told him yes.”

  Maddie went back to eating her breakfast. That had to have been in the past few weeks. It’d been almost three weeks since they’d gone apple picking and she made a bunch of pies.

  “That’s nice. I know you two miss Daddy.”

  “But he’s always in our heart,” Maddie said. “You told me that. He did follow us here.”

  “Yes,” Jeffrey said. “I dream of him a lot.”

  “You do?” she said. “I’m glad. Maybe we need to watch another video of Daddy tonight.”

  She had a lot of them on her phone and ones of Tyler at work. John had put them all in a file and labeled them for her. She and the kids could continue to see Tyler on screen so no one would forget him.

  She never would but realized that maybe she needed to bring them out again since Ryan was in her life.

  She was learning she could care for one man while never stopping the love she had for another. Her kids needed to realize that too.

  “Can we watch the one from our last Christmas?” Jeffrey asked. “That’s my favorite.”

  “We sure can,” she told them. “Tonight after dinner we can watch a few.”

  And later that night when everyone was in bed, she’d heard, “I know you won’t forget me. Thank you for letting the kids see the videos.”

  “I’ll never forget you,” she told Tyler. She had dreams of him often too. They comforted her when she needed it the most. When she worried that she was in over her head but didn’t want to ask for help.

  There were single mothers out there that didn’t have the means like she did and made it work. She was damn well going to do it too.

  “I know. I’ll be in your heart too. Always. But don’t doubt what you’ve got with someone else. Don’t let it hinder you.”

  She wanted to ask what he meant by that, but she opened her eyes and the dream was over.

  20

  Bad Boy Exterior

  “I’m glad we could get together for lunch,” Whitney said to her when they were seated.

  “Sorry I couldn’t make it sooner,” Shannon said. “I wanted to do it a day that Maddie was in PreK and then I’ve had things going on with work. Having the time difference, it’s lunch here and people are starting meetings or their workday there.”

  “I don’t know how you keep it straight,” Whitney said.

  “I goof sometimes, but it�
��s not too bad. They are just so busy and growing so fast. John is in the process of bringing in someone to replace me, but he’s had a hard time finding the right person. Then I need to work with that person, but I’ll be doing a lot of the same work too.”

  “It’s hard being here and not there, isn’t it? I couldn’t imagine doing everything remotely, but I spend a ton of my time on the phone with people, chasing supplies, smoothing ruffled feathers on top of it.”

  “I wouldn’t want your job. I’ve got to imagine there are a lot of frantic and nervous new homeowners. People changing their minds, checking on the status of the build...like me. I’m sorry if I was a pain.”

  Whitney reached her hand over and patted hers. “You were fine. Normally we don’t do it like you did. Where everything is done over the phone or video, but it worked out well. It’s actually better. Living here homeowners think they can go on the property anytime they want.”

  “They can’t?” she asked, knowing she might have done that too. There was so much out of control in her life at that point, this was something that was hers and she could grasp it and make sure it turned out the right way.

  “We still own the land and house until it’s completed and we close. Those people put down a large percentage, but it’s legally still ours until completed. I can’t tell you how many times people can’t finish the project for a number of reasons. This way we do it and sell it ourselves.”

  “At least you have realtors do that for you. So much easier, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. We have one realtor mainly now. Ruby. You met her. She doesn’t work for us, but we’ve got a contract with her to be listed as the agent if anyone comes to our site looking to build. She deals with the front end of it and it doesn’t come to us until they are ready to start signing contracts. But just as many already have realtors and those have to go through Ruby too. It works out well.”

  “She was an absolute sweetheart. I was glad to meet her at the picnic.”

  “She lives here now. Well, her fiancé purchased a house through her over a year ago. They are getting married next month. It seemed like the logical choice to do this with her. So...tell me how things are going with my brother. No more idle chitchat. You’re okay going to my parents for dinner on Saturday?”

  She’d been a little stunned that Ryan had said his parents wanted her over but then realized there was no reason not to go.

  It just made her realize that she needed to have a conversation with the kids about her and Ryan’s relationship. They’d been very careful to not kiss or touch in front of Jeffrey and Maddie. And because they were so young, they just thought Ryan was her friend that came over to hang out.

  But going to have dinner with Ryan’s parents was enough for her to realize that talk had to come about and it was best to not put it off any longer in case the kids were upset. She’d need the few days to work it out before dinner.

  “I’m fine. I’ve met your parents before. I talked to your father a time or two during the build. I’m more worried Ryan is nervous.”

  He’d seemed nervous when he told her his mother extended the invitation.

  “He’s a big boy.” Whitney leaned in. “Between us, you might only be the second or third person he’s ever had over to a family dinner or event before.”

  “What?” she asked, not sure she wanted to know that. “Why is that? He’s a pretty great guy. I’d think he would have dated a lot.”

  “I think he’s a great guy. And he does—or did date—quite a bit. But most of the women he dated liked his bad boy exterior.”

  She started to laugh. “Bad boy?”

  “He’s pretty gruff and blunt to people. Maybe not to you or clients but outside of work he can’t be bothered with things half the time. Nor does he have the tolerance for it.”

  “I can see that. I’ve noticed it at times. Not with me. But he doesn’t smile much. Though he has been a bit more lately. Maybe the kids bring it out of him.”

  “That’s good to hear,” Whitney said.

  “I shouldn’t ask this. I feel bad doing it. But has he always been that way? No, don’t answer. It’s a better question for him.”

  “You can talk to him, but I’ll honestly tell you he’s never been one that smiled a lot. That was me. But we’re close and he’s very protective of me. I’m divorced. I married right before my nineteenth birthday. And well, it was a ten-year marriage, but not a good one. Things happened. I’m not going to get into it. I don’t like to talk about it. But Ryan took it hard. Maybe you should ask him.”

  “I don’t want to pry.”

  “It’s not. He’ll tell you, I know he will. But there are things I don’t share with too many people. What he knows isn’t much of a secret.”

  “Meaning that there are things you haven’t even told him?” she asked.

  “Yeah. There are some things between a married couple that just don’t need to be shared,” Whitney said.

  “I know,” she said.

  Her phone rang, so she reached for it to see who might be calling, in case it was someone for work. It was a Washington number but not one she recognized and sent it to voicemail.

  “You don’t need to get that?” Whitney asked.

  “I’m not sure who it is. Everyone that would be calling me is programmed in. If not, they can leave a message and I’ll return the call.”

  “I know that feeling. When Kevin and I split my phone rang a lot. People just wanted to gossip and I didn’t want to deal with it.”

  “Same thing,” she said. “I understood many meant well, but Tyler dying was such a shock to us. As many that wanted to offer condolences, just as many were asking personal questions. It was best to leave.”

  “You’re a young beautiful woman that is pretty wealthy,” Whitney said. “I’ve got to imagine some would try to take advantage of that. I hope you don’t think Ryan is.”

  “No,” she said. “I asked your brother out.”

  “You did?” Whitney said, surprised. “Good for you.”

  “Well, it’s the first person I’ve dated since Tyler’s death. And Ryan knows this, it’s not a secret. But I’ve only been with Tyler. We started dating in high school. I’m not as naive as I thought I was, but it’s been a big step too.”

  “I don’t think too many would think you were naive. But I will tell you that I can understand people wanting you for a name or money,” Whitney said.

  Shannon assumed that was part of the ex-husband issue but didn’t say anything. Didn’t Ryan say that was an issue for him too?

  “I think that is why I like Ryan so much. Those things don’t mean anything to him. I don’t look like I’ve got what I do. Neither do you or Ryan. I’m a simple person at the heart of it. I just want to live my life that way too.”

  “You’re good for him,” Whitney said. “I’m glad you two found each other.”

  “He’s good for me too.”

  When she got home an hour later she checked her phone and saw she had a voicemail, then played the message.

  Shannon, it’s Walt. Did you get my email? I really need to talk to you. I’m missing Tyler so much and I’m afraid to do something I don’t want to. He helped me once and I need him again. Please call me.

  She didn’t know how Walt got her phone number but immediately called John.

  “Shannon, what’s up? You don’t normally call me in the middle of the day if it’s not scheduled,” John said.

  “I just got a call from Walt. I didn’t recognize the phone number and sent it to voicemail.”

  “Can you send it to me?” he asked.

  “I’m not sure how to do that,” she said.

  “Hang up and call me from Skype on your computer and let me hear it. I’ll have IT pull it from your phone if you want.”

  “Please do,” she said. “I want you to keep it there. Why is he still bothering me? I can’t help him,” she said.

  “I’ll deal with it. I’m not sure how he got your number unless someone on the inside g
ave it to him. We gave you a new number when you moved. It’s possible he still talks to people. I’ll see if I can find out and take care of it.”

  “Thanks, John,” she said, then disconnected the call, John’s face leaving the screen. She hadn’t gotten any more emails from Walt after that first one before and figured whatever John did worked. Guess not.

  She understood Walt was grieving Tyler, but there wasn’t anything she could do. Nothing she wanted to do either.

  She never cared for the guy when he lived in their guest house.

  He wasn’t mean to her, but there was something about him that made her uncomfortable. She just didn’t want someone like that around the kids. Tyler always dealt with Walt and it was actually one of the few disagreements they’d had. That Tyler kept trying to help the man when she would have preferred to stay out of it.

  Her life was here with her kids and now Ryan and she didn’t need anyone dragging her back.

  The guilt of moving on was still tickling the surface, but she was learning to move past it.

  When she heard the kids coming through the door with Zoe she knew her focus was with them and went to go see them.

  “Mommy,” Maddie said, running toward her and jumping in her arms. “Can we play with the dogs in the yard?”

  “I think that will be a good idea. They could use the exercise as they just sleep all day when they are with me.”

  “I’ve got homework, Mom,” Jeffrey said. “Can I play first and then do it?”

  “You can, but why don’t you both come sit down in the living room. I want to talk to you first.”

  “Oh boy,” Zoe said. “What did they do?”

  She shot her sister the evil eye their mother had always sent them when they were growing up. “You guys didn’t do anything wrong. I want to talk to you about Ryan.”

  “He’s still our friend, right?” Jeffrey asked.

  “Of course. But Ryan and I are more than friends. That’s what I want to talk to you about.”

  “Like boyfriend and girlfriend?” Jeffrey asked. “Do you hold hands and kiss?”